In this part of our series, we’ll be exploring international adoption for LDS families. The popularity of international adoption has exploded over the last several years, and in 2002, over 21,000 international adoptions took place in the U.S. alone! According to U.S. immigration statistics, China (6062), Russia (4904), Guatemala (2361), South Korea (1713) and Ukraine (1093) rounded out the top five countries where Americans found their children.

Choosing international adoption can be a daunting process, particularly if a couple is unsure... more

Yet another consideration is that some agencies have a set of values or beliefs to which clients must profess adherence. Many Christian agencies require the signing of “faith statements,” and/or a submission of a written personal testimony. These have the potential to cause problems for LDS couples when they’re asked to affirm their acceptance of concepts such as sola scriptura and the Trinity. Similarly, many LDS couples looking for financial assistance through adoption loan and grant organizations find they aren’t considered for such... more

In this installment of our series, we’ll be looking at other domestic adoption options available to LDS families.

The first, and that most like the type of adoption facilitated by LDS Family Services, is Agency Adoption, or private adoption. In an agency adoption, a couple contracts with an adoption agency of their choosing to provide a package of services necessary for the adoption of a child. These services can include completion of a homestudy (although this can also be accomplished through the use of a homestudy agency or cooperating... more

Most of the steps involved with adopting a child through LDS Family Services are the same as or similar to adopting a child through other avenues. A homestudy is completed, prospective parents are subjected to criminal and child abuse background checks, and they must provide a variety of documentation about marriage, financial and employment status, and health. Couples also typically write a “dear birthparent” letter and create an adoptive parent profile that can be reviewed by expectant parents who are considering an adoption plan. Profiles include information about the couple such as age, education, employment, appearance, length of marriage, hobbies, and other children already in the... more

In this series, we’ll be looking at the primary adoption options for LDS families, and we’ll be starting with domestic adoption through LDS Family Services.

The social services arm of the Church has existed in one form or another since the Restoration. In the beginning, charitable work was primarily the undertaking of the Relief Society, but over the decades it became clear that the social needs of the Saints warranted creation of a separate program. Although organizations within the Church formally assisted with the placement of adoptive... more

After just shy of a year of waiting, our three new Haitian kids were escorted home to us on October 5, 2006. We'd visited them once in October of 2005, and again in April/May of 2006, and this really helped us not to go stir-crazy during the long wait. Haiti can be a trying program because of frequent changes in the process, but being able to visit is a wonderful perk that isn't an option in many international adoption programs. I don't think we could have survived the year without being able to spend time with our children! On the flip side, having to leave your children behind and go home after a wonderful week together is no walk in the park. But the memories, pictures and video we... more

Shortly after we returned home with Sofie, we began thinking about adopting “just one more time” and began to consider various options. With our family size, we were somewhat limited, but we looked into domestic adoption (we’d already had two failed domestic adoptions – more about that later), Taiwan, Mongolia and Viet Nam (which was then rumored to be reopening eventually). We decided that since we weren’t in a big hurry, we might as well wait for things in Viet Nam to get going again. We mailed off our agency application and sat back to settle in with Sofie.

In August, we heard about a sibling group of three from Haiti who needed an LDS home. We’d been told that Haiti wasn’t... more

We’d gotten such a strong witness that Sofie was to be our child that we felt a surge of faith and optimism. We knew she’d be coming home to us, and we got right to work taking the necessary steps to make that happen.

Then came the news: China said no.

Through our adoption coordinator, our facilitator encouraged us not to lose hope and promised he’d keep trying. In the meantime, we fasted, we prayed, we attended the temple. And they still said no.

Things at the CCAA had gotten so strict that they issued a statement to all adoption agencies that they would make NO exceptions for larger family adoption, and that the agencies weren’t to ask or they would risk receiving... more

We’ve heard a lot about adoptions by Angelina Jolie and Madonna recently, but you may be interested to know that a “famous” LDS couple welcomed a new addition into their family just last week. Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, met their new one-year-old daughter Asha, in India on December 19th. The Huntsmans now have seven children, including Gracie Mei whom they previously adopted from China. You can read more about their adoption here.

Adoptions... more

On October 4, 2002, we received The Call. Somewhere in the province of Jiangxi, in the People’s Republic of China, was a tiny six-month-old baby girl named Feng Yun Gui, and she was ours. The previous fourteen months of waiting melted away, and the next two were spent preparing ourselves and our children for what was about to take place. Bags were packed and childcare was arranged, and on December 4 - two months to the day since we received our referral - we boarded a plane headed for China.

You can see our very own “gotcha” moment here, should your heart desire. It certainly showcases that wonderful moment... more